PROFESSOR AND BURGLAR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 110, 25 September 1912, Page 8

PROFESSOR AND BURGLAR.

CHICAGO MAN'S EXTRAORDINARY DOUBLE LIFE. MOT WORTH £50,000. New York, August 10. An amateur cracksman of rare ingenuity has been captured by the Chicago police in the person of Jacob M. Guthrie, a professor of chemistry at fho munici!pal laboratory.

Guthrie is a university graduate, with charming manners and of giant stature, who, ''just for the thrill of the thing," to rise his own words, has devoted his leisure hours during the last few months to committing burglaries at the houses of Chicago millionaires, after being occupied in teaching during the day. His success has been amazing'. Since March he has stolen jewellery, lace, pictures, fans, statuettes, tapestries and silks worth, the police estimate, between £50,000 and £70,000. How he succeeded in carrying to safety many large art treasures is a mystery to the police, who for months have been battled by an extraordinary series of burglaries. Guthrie apparently enjoys the notoriety which his capture has brought him. He smilingly explained that he conceived the idea of pursuing the career of an amateur cracksman after reading a book of that name. He hired a barn at a renital of 30a a month, and there stored the priceless proceeds of his burglaries. "I have not sold a sicgle article," he says, "but I used to feast my eyes on ■ the treasures once a week."

Guthrie's capture was due to thq fact that in the course of the summer he added forgery to the list of his criminal 'accomplishments. While looting the house of Mrs. Ella Wilson he discovered her bankbook. The perusal of her let-, tera showed him that her bank balance was £4OOO. He studied her signature with the aid of a bundle of returned cheques, and succeeding in cashing forged cheques to the amount of £3OOO. As Mrs. Wilson was travelling in Japan the forgeries were undiscovered for some time. With the proceeds of the forgeries he speculated in stocks, but lost some £6OO. TREASURES IN A BARN. On August 3 Guthrie was taking a deposit to the Northern Trust Company when a detective seized him. He toroke away, fled down a street, and was captured after a fierce struggle. On the way to the police station the officers noticed him place a piece of paper in his mouth. Immediately they clutched him by the throat and' recovered the piece of paper, which proved to be a receipt for the rent of the barn, whore twelve trunks filled with the rarest collection of valuable* were discovered later. It is said to be worth at least £50,000.